Review of The Raven (2012) by Midlands M — 19 Oct 2013
Not even the ever-reliable John Cusack can raise this film above average as he plays a fictionalised version of Edgar Allan Poe who is drafted in by Baltimore police after a killer creates a series of grisly murders using his poems and short stories as inspiration.
More "frothy" than "gothy", the period tale covers a romantic liaison followed by Poe's attempt to link the murders inspired (or related to) his works such as "The Masque of the Red Death", "The Murders in the Rue Morgue", "The Pit and the Pendulum" and "The Tell-Tale Heart" amongst others.
With echoes of Depp's "From Hell" and "Sleepy Hollow" which cover familiar 19th century 'detectives' quandaries, not even a good Luke Evans as Inspector Emmett Fields and Brendan Gleeson as Captain Hamilton can help the drama, acting, costumes and plot which are all incredibly run of the mill - only this and nothing more.
Midlands Movies Mike 6/10.
This review of The Raven (2012) was written by Midlands M on 19 Oct 2013.
The Raven has generally received mixed reviews.
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